Clubber Spotlight: Karen Stanley

My work is about movement, energy, and the electricity of the London scene, and while most people are home sleeping I’m out snapping. Specialising in portraiture and fine art fashion, I use vivid style and imagery to explore storytelling. With a focus on capturing the raw energy of subculture and identity, I blend these themes with textured collage and graphic design, in both digital and analogue techniques. My work sits at the intersection of fashion and social commentary, creating bold portraits and surreal collages.

I’ve always been drawn to the unusual, the subcultures, the people who sleep during the daytime. Creatures of the night feed my creative mind and when I got involved with London nightlife it opened up a world on which I could feast. Quickly becoming drawn to the way light, movement, and emotion shape a moment, my creative process is a combination of analogue and digital methods, creating textured and vibrant collages which feel tactile and hand crafted, by pushing the limits with texture, creativity and graphics.

My collage work is about chaos, texture, and layering stories that hit like a glitch in reality. I’m drawn to the approach of these images as it allows me to push the boundaries of a single frame, layering emotions, textures, and narratives in a way that feels like a surreal dream. I have a love for intimate and cinematic imagery, creating my own worlds within my work.

My creative scene is the vibrant London nightlife and fashion community— I’ve spent more time with strippers and drag queens than my own family and I’m not mad at that. I'm drawn to capturing stories that often remain unseen through storytelling and bold imagery. I have no time for the mundane, the things society thinks are ‘safe’ and ‘normal’. I don’t just take photos—I capture the energy most people miss. My work is all about the raw, unfiltered chaos of the creative underground, and working with a vibrant mix of people.

I’m currently working on my first exhibition as well as some more editorial features, and planning some exciting moments this year!

@karenstanleyphoto